Mei Terumi slowly raised her head.She was surrounded on all sides by endless white tendrils—each one twitching with a strange, eerie sentience. They swayed, coiled, and crowded around her like predators savoring the helplessness of their prey.
Above her, atop the towering white God Tree, the masked figure sat silently.Behind the wooden mask, the single visible azure eye gleamed with a cold, ancient stillness—unfathomable, emotionless, bottomless.
The setting sun pierced through a hole in the clouds, spilling crimson light across the sky. The light framed the masked Hashirama like a divine silhouette—remote, distant, merciless.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Mei mustered what remained of her chakra and expelled a burning green mist. The corrosive vapors ate through dozens of white tendrils, dissolving them into black sludge.
But the moment she finished, her knees buckled.She barely remained standing.
She turned to the last few surviving Kirigakure shinobi—barely ten left.
"The path is open. All of you—leave now. I'll cover the rear."
"But—"
"No buts!" Mei snapped."If you don't leave now, you won't get another chance!"
She glanced up at Hashirama.
Even after she melted a gaping hole through his defenses, he hadn't moved.His eye remained fixed on her alone.
He never intended to let her escape.
"Let's go together, Lady Mei!" Chojuro cried, struggling despite being weakened. He had been caught by a tendril at the start of the battle, and Mei had risked her life to save him.
She shook her head quietly.
He didn't understand.
They could leave.She could not.
Wiping blood from her cheek, she spoke softly—yet with unshakable conviction:
"That man doesn't care whether any of you live or die. If you run, you might survive. If you stay… you will die."
"His target has been me from the beginning. If I try to escape, none of you will make it out alive."
Her voice rose sharply:
"GO!!!"
The Kirigakure ninjas exchanged heavy looks.One of them knocked Chojuro unconscious and slung him over his shoulder.
Before the tendrils regrew, they fled—fast and silent.
No hesitation.No pointless bravado.This was the Mist Village's way.A dead escort squad helped no one.
They carried vital information:
Konoha's involvement.Hyuga Neiki.Senju Hashirama.A possible Kirigakure spy.The strange Kengakure hidden village.
Someone had to report back.
They vanished beyond the forest.
Mei's expression softened for a moment—proud, sorrowful, relieved.
Then she faced the masked man again.
"Why do you look relieved?" Hashirama tilted his head.One hand supported his chin in a casual gesture."Do you really think they can escape?"
Mei frowned."What do you mean?"
"Nothing much." He pointed lazily toward the distance."But if they harm any civilians out of frustration during their retreat… I'll kill every last one of them before they leave the Land of Waves."
His tone was gentle—and that made it even colder.
Mei hesitated.He sounded self-righteous… but did he truly care about these people?
"We didn't kill innocents," she insisted quietly.
Hashirama chuckled softly behind the mask.He extended a hand, pointing again.
"There's a mountain village over there. Over four hundred died today. The leader of the slaughter party…"
A tendril lifted a dried corpse—shriveled, barely human.
"…was this one."
It was Kisame.
Mei's breath caught.Shock flickered across her face.
Hashirama continued:
"Meanwhile, over eight hundred islanders were killed during your battle with Konoha. More than five thousand were displaced."
His voice darkened.
"Given such losses, is killing a few of you really too much?"
Mei gritted her teeth.
"And Konoha? They chose this battlefield. They started this here. Did you confront them?"
"Yes."
Hashirama's reply was instant.
"There are many reasons, but I'll give you one."
He pointed to himself.
"Because I am Senju Hashirama—founder of Konoha."
"Konoha has become brutal and domineering. That is my failure."
"I intend to correct that failure soon."
The colossal Byakugan God Tree behind him slowly shrank—its pale tendrils retracting, its many eyes closing one by one. It compressed down into a small sapling at his feet.
Its accumulated Byakugan essence was exhausted.If it forced a mature form again, it would need fifty thousand lives.
Unacceptable.
Hashirama knelt slightly and touched the sapling.With a soft rustle, it slipped beneath the earth—returning to Kengakure atop the mountain.
Mei didn't notice.She was too busy processing his words.
She turned pale as realization crept over her.
"…You're really the God of Shinobi… Senju Hashirama?"
He didn't confirm.He didn't deny.
"What do you think?"
Her thoughts spiraled.
It was impossible.It was absurd.
Yet the Wood Release he used…The crushing force…The terrifying God Tree…
Who else could wield something like that?
She stared at the mask, imagining the face behind it.If he truly was Hashirama—how old would he be?How had he survived?Why was he here instead of Konoha?
She had countless questions.
But she chose the one that mattered most:
"…Why did you target me, Lord Hashirama?"
Hashirama turned slightly—then stopped, sensing something.
Mei followed his gaze.
Rustling.Soft footsteps.Like a swarm of insects.
Figures emerged—villagers of the Land of Waves.Men, women, elders supporting one another, carrying pots, pans, and makeshift weapons.
Leading them was an old man with a white headscarf.
They didn't approach.They whispered among themselves, standing amid corpses.
Then a furious young man suddenly rushed forward—and hacked at a Mist ninja's corpse again and again.
Mei's eyes widened.
"What are they doing?!"
Were they—insulting Kirigakure's dead?
Did they despise them that deeply?
Hashirama didn't speak.He simply watched.
Soon, at the elder's signal, the villagers all knelt.
A wave of people bowing, crying, shouting—
"Thank you, Lord Hashirama, for delivering justice!""Thank you for avenging us!""Thank you!""Thank you!"
Their voices cracked with gratitude.
Mei stared at them.At Hashirama.At the devastation around her.
Slowly, she understood.
Yes—Kirigakure had caused massive casualties.Yes—these villagers saw Hashirama as their protector.Yes—they genuinely despised the Mist for what happened.
"They're… thanking you?" she said softly.
"No," Hashirama replied."They're requesting me."
Mei blinked."Requesting…?"
"Gratitude is a request," he explained."They hope that by thanking me, I will remain in the Land of Waves to protect them from future invasions."
Mei almost choked.
That interpretation was… dark.Cold.Almost cynical.
She looked at the villagers—simple, innocent, grateful.If they heard that, their hearts would shatter.
"…You don't seem to care about them," Mei murmured."Yet you fought for them."
Hashirama shook his head.
"Protecting them has nothing to do with them."
Mei froze.
"My aim is to correct the world's mistakes—to allow all people to protect themselves."
"It just so happens the first seed of that change lies in the Land of Waves."
"You may find my thoughts harsh," he continued."But this is what I believe—peace is not achieved by waiting for a savior."
"It is achieved when people learn to save themselves."
"I cannot guard the Land of Waves forever. The seeds of peace must spread everywhere. Until the final fruit ripens, they must strive to become their own heroes."
Mei couldn't respond immediately.
She didn't fully understand.No—she couldn't understand.She had seen too little.
Correct the world?Achieve peace?
These were lofty ideals—but without concrete steps, they sounded like fantasy.She inwardly mocked his ambition.
"So… Lord Hashirama, what do you want from me?"
Although unbound, she was clearly a prisoner.He had chosen her.
She forced a teasing smile, lifting her skirt slightly.
"Have you fallen for my beauty?"
Hashirama didn't even glance at her.
"The Mist Village's Blood Mist policies must be corrected," he said plainly."I want as little slaughter as possible. For that, I need someone who can contact and negotiate with Kirigakure's internal factions."
His tone was so indifferent that Mei Terumi nearly fell over.
She placed a hand on her forehead.
"So you want my cooperation… fine. But why—"
Hashirama's gaze silenced her instantly.
She remembered.
Kirigakure had come to "crush" Kengakure.
A silent sigh escaped her lips.
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